Time to Diversify Bali's Market Base

Government to Focus Tourism Promotion on Non-Conventional Markets Less-Affected by Global Economic Crisis.

(10/25/2008) I Gde Pitana, the former Head of the Bali Tourism Office and now the Director of International Promotion Visits at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has called on Bali's tourism practitioners to diversify their market base as a preventative step against the current global economic crisis.

Quoted in DenPost Pitana cautioned, "We can no longer depend on a single market, but must diversify and penetrate new markets such as China, Russia, India, South Korea and others."

Pitana said that Russian visitors are growing to Bali and the government is planning to ad "tens" of flights between Bali and Russia. Explaining his position, Pitana said: "We are also promoting in the Middle East. With the increase in the world price of oil, many countries are put at a loss, but the countries of the Middle East (that produce oil) are delighted. Thus, in the midst of the current global economic crisis we are focusing on promoting Indonesian tourism in non-conventional markets and countries less affected by the global crisis."